Two Worlds Collide
by Vahnya
Summary: When young witch Evanna is chased by Death Eaters, she makes the choice to die rather than be captured, but instead of resting in peace, she wakes up in Middle Earth. She soon meet the elves of Lothlórien, and a certain handsome Marchwarden. How will her presence in Middle Earth change the course of the story, and indeed, how will it change the life of Haldir himself? Haldir/OC.
1. Chapter 1

It was freezing cold that night, and the shaky breaths coming out of her mouth sent puffs of smoke into the chilly air. She stood behind the railing of the bridge, looking down at the water raging raucously below her. Even though she knew she would have no use for it where she was headed, she still tucked her wand safely within the inner pocket of her coat. Just knowing it was there, with her, was a small sort of comfort.

Her hands shook as she grabbed the banister that separated her from the drop, and they slipped momentarily on the icy surface, before they settled in a firm grip. Her head whipped around as she heard the hollering voices of her pursuers getting closer by the minute. They knew they had her. She knew it too. With the Anti-Disapparating Ward upon the area, and Death Eaters surrounding her from every side, there was no way out. She was trapped.

She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to be brave. There was only one thing to do. She would not be captured, she would not betray her friends, nor The Order. This was war, and she had always been quite aware that she might one day be forced do face such a choice. Taking another deep, shaky breath, she hoisted herself up, swung one leg over the railing, then the other, and placed her feet down on the other side, whilst her hands held the banister firmly; the only thing that kept her from falling.

She stood for a moment, staring down into the dark abyss of stormy water underneath the snowy ice that had settled over the river during the winter. Surprisingly, she felt a certain calm come over her. She had always been afraid of heights, or rather of falling. Yet as she stood, about to subject herself to the mercy of the fall, she felt no fear. Just the placid relief of knowing that she would not betray her loved ones. She would not be tortured. Soon, she could slip away into peaceful nothingness. And they would fight on.

The voices grew closer, they would soon be upon her. There was no time to lose, she could not risk them interfering. Closing her eyes, she took a last breath of the fresh, wintry air. In her mind she pictures all the people she loved, knowing that this was for them. She hoped that this might help them, in some small way at least, to win the war, and secure a happy future for themselves.

"Don't forget me," she whispered to the wind, before she loosened the grip on the railing, and her young body drifted slowly forward for a moment, as if hesitant of the sudden free-fall. And as the unrelenting arms of gravity worked their magic on her, she fell down, down, down, until her body connected with the frozen surface, and she plummeted into the water. Then, everything went blissfully dark.

There was a sense of falling through time and space that seemed to last for a small eternity. It was dark. Pitch black. She could see nothing, and feel nothing, just the sense of falling down, down, down. She felt not the air upon her face, nor could she hear the disturbance in the air which you normally would when falling. Indeed, she could not feel her face, or her ears, or her body at all. It was as if she was formless, yet still conscious. And still falling.

Strange.

Another small eternity passed, until, finally, she landed on solid ground with a resounding thwack. Strangely, the collision with the ground did not force the air out of her lungs as it usually would. Instead, it forced the air back into them, and with a mighty, desperate gasp for air, she was suddenly back in her body, feeling the air on her face and her back on the ground once more. She lay there, gasping for breath for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts, and her wits.

As the memories came rushing back to her, she stiffened. Solid ground? Was she dead? She had no idea. For a moment fear seized her, as she wondered if perhaps she hadn't died, that she had instead been taken captive by the Death Eaters. She strained her ears, hoping that some sound in her surroundings might tell her something of her situation. All she could hear however, was the sound of a few birds singing, and what sounded like the rustle of a river nearby, and she frowned. It sounded… Peaceful.

Well, she thought wryly to herself. That rules out captivity.

Feeling more curious by the moment, she opened her eyes slowly and squinted as her eyes were assaulted by the bright light. She waited a few moments until her eyes had adjusted accordingly, then opened them properly.

What the…

Sluggishly, she struggled into a sitting position, and gaped as she took in her surroundings.

Is this heaven?

She could think of no better word to describe it. The solid ground in which she lay upon, was soft, green grass that seemed to stretch on for miles. In front of her were magnificent mountains adorned with pure, white snow up in the high tops, which glinted in the sunlight. About a mile to her left, a magnificent river wound its way through the landscape until it disappeared into a massive forest that lay behind her. As far as she could see, there was no sign of civilization in sight. Just nature. A beautiful paradise.

"Huh," she muttered to herself in all astonishment, "I must have done something right in life, then."

Somehow she managed to pull herself onto her feet, though she swayed slightly and closed her eyes tightly as a dizzy spell overwhelmed her. She looked down upon herself, curiously. She didn't feel dead. In fact, she felt very… normal. And looked normal. Pressing her hand to her coat, she felt the firm imprint of her wand still in her inner pocket, and she fished it out and held it experimentally in her hand. She could still feel the power in it. The magic.

She tried a simple Aguamenti spell and raised her eyebrows in amazement when water promptly gushed out of the tip of her wand.

"Weird," she declared to herself. "Didn't realize you could do magic in the afterlife."

Something felt odd, she decided. She really didn't feel like she was dead, but she couldn't fathom where on earth she had ended up. Had she travelled through some portal? Had she magically managed to disapparate before she hit the water? She couldn't remember.

Feeling like the heat of the sun was boiling her alive though, she quickly discarded her coat, shrunk it and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans. Who knew, it might come in handy later. She decided to make her way over to the trees of the forest behind her, to find some shade and somewhere to settle down to think.

She had barely started walking however, when a rumbling in the ground suddenly had her on full alert. Something was coming. From a dip in grass ahead of her, emerged a herd of black creatures at rapid speed, riding atop some sort of atrocious beasts. They seemed to have picked up on her presence, because they headed straight towards her.

She squinted her eyes, trying to make out who, or rather what, they were, but she could not recognize their features. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach though, and kept her wand raised in front of her, ready to defend herself if she had to.

As the creatures came closer, she wrinkled her nose in disgust once she saw the looks of them. Their skin was a foul sort of dark grey, and their faces were of varying degrees of disgustingly distorted. They were hideous. There was no way around it. They looked like some sort of spawn of Satan.

Soon enough, they creatures were upon her, and they surrounded her threateningly, upon their steeds, which Evanna made out to be some sort of hybrid-beast-wolves. They snarled and bit after her, but were held back by their masters. The rider themselves, wheezed and spit back and forth between themselves, in an ugly, menacing language she could not understand.

This can't be good, she thought to herself, whilst she tried to keep an eye on all of them at once.

One of the foul creatures slipped down from its beast and stepped towards her. She took a step back in trepidation, but realized it was no use. For the second time that day, she was surrounded, and outnumbered.

The orc leered and grinned viciously at her, showing of a set of rotting teeth coated in dark saliva, and she could practically feel the breath reeking from afar.

"Dinner, and entertainment for the night," he declared to his friends, as he licked his lips suggestively, and the others cheered in response.

Finally a language I understand, she thought to herself, although she rather wished she hadn't.

"Uh, while that does sound absolutely lovely, gents," she replied sardonically. "I'm afraid I will have to pass on that."

The spawn of Satan laughed derisively. "Got somewhere to be?" He asked, as he took another threatening step towards her. She forced herself not to retreat.

"Unfortunately," she replied with fake-apologetic shrug.

"Well," he crooned. "I'm afraid, we insist."

He cackled evilly, as he took another step forward, and made a move to grab her by her arm.

"Stupefy," she cried as she pointed her wand at him, and a red spur of light shot out of her wand, hitting him right in the chest, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

The other beasts stopped their cheers abruptly, looking dumbfounded.

"If you will excuse me, gentlemen," she said dryly and fired off a reducto curse at the ground before the two creatures blocking her path towards the forest, which sent them both flying to the sides. She wasted no time in throwing herself at the opening it created, and set of towards the forest in the distance. It took the creatures some time to recuperate, but she soon heard the drum of their steeds pounding into the ground as they pursued her.

She made it to the trees unscathed, luckily, and once there, she realized her advantage. She now had somewhere to hide, and from the cover of a thick tree trunk, she turned to fight back, firing off two curses that sent two of them to the ground, stunned. But there were too many of them left for her to fight off alone, and her hiding spot had now been disclosed, so she made to run deeper into the forest, with her foes hot on her trail.

Suddenly, there was swift movement amongst the trees, and seemingly out of nowhere appeared a dozen men, some on the ground, while others from the trees, charging towards her and the orcs, and she stopped frozen for a moment in surprise. Some carried swords raised for attack, while others fired arrow after arrow, quicker than anyone she had ever seen before. And one after another, the foul creatures fell, as did their beasts.

Although she had no idea who these people were, she understood they had a common cause in that moment; to fight off the orcs, and so Evanna turned with a small shrug and charged along with them, firing off another set of curses towards the ugly, black demons.

It was not long before all of them were defeated, spread around the forest floor with black blood oozing ominously out of their wounds. Evanna wrinkled her nose in disgust. Not only were the creatures absolutely revolting to look at, but the smell was so foul and potent, it almost made her sick to her stomach.

Still, she was glad she was safe, and she was just about to turn to thank the men for coming to her aid, when she found herself surrounded by them, with arrows aimed at her face threateningly.

Apparently, not so safe after all, she thought sarcastically to herself. This is so not my day.

She held her hands up as a sign of peace, while she took a moment to truly take in the appearances of these strange forest men. They wore grey, old-fashioned tunics with brown belts tied around their waists to secure their swords. And curiously, they all sported the same long, golden white hair, quite unusual for men, or so Evanna thought, but most curious of all were perhaps the strange, pointy ears parting the golden locks of every man.

Where am I? Wonderland?

One man, broader and burlier than the others, stepped forward with a severe look upon his face.

"You trespass into the realm of Lothlórien, leading a heard of Orcs of The Enemy. What business have you here?"

His voice was hard and accusing, and he stood stoically, staring haughtily down at her, waiting for an answer. Evanna blinked in confusion.

Loth- what? Orcs? Enemy? What's he on about?

"Err, trespassing, sir?" She was terribly confused. "Where exactly am I?"

Trespassing, she grumbled silently to herself. What is this, North-Korea?

An irritated twitch of eyebrow was the only reaction she got from the dour looking leader.

"Lothlórien," he repeated impatiently. "The forest realm of the elves?"

He phrased it as a question, but there was a hint of mockery in his tone, leaving her with the impression that he thought her somewhat dimwitted.

"Yes, you said that already." She pursed her lips in annoyance. "But where exactly is this forest realm of Lothloringnon?"

She deliberately mispronounced the foreign name, as a sort of stick it to him for his discourteous attitude.

The man looked increasingly irritated.

"Lothlórien," he corrected stiffly, and she almost smirked to herself at him being so easily bated, but she quickly sobered as she warily regarded the dozen sharp arrow-points aimed at her face. Then her slow brain registered another word he used in the former sentence.

"Wait, did you just say elves?" she exclaimed.

He merely raised a sardonic eyebrow at her violent reaction.

"Indeed," he confirmed.

Evanna gaped at him, while her thoughts spun wildly.

"Elves?" she repeated dazed. "Elves? Lothlórien?"

Her slow mind finally began to catch up with her. She considered the foul creatures she had come across before. And the Elves before her. And the word Lothlórien rang familiarly in her mind as she began to remember a certain fantasy saga she had been obsessed with as a child.

How can this be? She thought to herself. I'm dreaming.

She tried to pinch her arm, to force herself to wake up, but nothing happened.

"Oh, God…" she muttered to herself, as she turned slightly from the elven leader and touched her forehead gingerly. "Oh, God," she repeated perturbedly.

She ignored the strange looks she received from the elves.

"It's official," she stated to herself with a wide gesture of her arm. "I've gone mad!"

Her thoughts kept racing with the realization, as she tried to make sense of her situation.

"But how can this be? I should be dead…"

She began to pace back and forth in her confusion, well, as much as she was able to in her tight surroundings.

"Excuse me-," the leader interrupted frustratedly.

"Shush," she cut him off him with a raised hand. "You're not real."

She kept pacing, mumbling to herself.

Finally, the leader had enough of her. He took a threatening step forward and grabbed her arm forcibly, emitting a gasp of pain from her, but successfully shaking her out of her disarray of thoughts.

"I assure you." His voice was low and dangerous. "We are quite real."

Evanna stared up at him wide-eyed, but had to concur. His grip was certainly real enough, and so, she deemed, he was too. And the ground she stood upon was firm and hard. Definitely real.

She let out a shaky breath, trying to gather her thoughts again.

"So you mean to tell me," she said slowly. "That I am indeed…" She hesitated for a moment, feeling the absurdity of the situation."… in Middle Earth?"

She gazed up at him in utter astonishment.

He looked down at her with that same impasse face, but there was a hint of bewilderment in his eyes as he regarded the genuine astonishment on her face.

"Yes," he confirmed slowly, watching her face carefully to regard her reaction.

Her eyes flickered back and forth along his face for a moment, trying to gauge whether he was messing with her. But she saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

"I don't believe it," she whispered. "Forgive me, but…" She wondered how she could possibly explain this to them, without sounding like a complete lunatic. "Where I come from.. Middle Earth… Elves… Lothlórien… It isn't real. Just fantasy. A story."

The leader merely raised one eyebrow questioningly, and send a pointed look to the elf on his right flank. They definitely thought she was crazy.

"And where exactly are you from?" He inquired derisively.

"I…" She hesitated, suddenly feeling terrified of actually voicing aloud the realization that suddenly dawned upon her with relentless force. "I'm from…"

"Another world, I guess."

They discussed at great lengths, in another language she could not understand, but she guessed it was some form of elvish. Probably Sindarin, if she remembered correctly from her childhood days. She had been quite a nerd for Lord of the Rings back then.

Who knew all that nerding might actually come in handy one day, she thought dryly to herself.

At last, the leader turned back to her.

"We shall take you to the Lady Galadriel," he declared. "She will know what to make of this."

Good, she thought to herself. She's psychic. She'll have some answers.

"Thank you." She offered a crooked smile of relief, suddenly feeling very grateful to her rescuers. He merely inclined his head stiffly.

"My name is Haldir," he offered. "Marchwarden of Lothórien."

"Oh," Evanna exclaimed. "Forgive my poor manners. My name is Evanna. Evanna Crawford."

She stuck out her right hand to properly greet him, and offered a small smile, hoping to correct the poor impression she had made of herself. They no doubt thought her half mad.

He stared impassively at her proffered hand and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Right," she retracted her hand and laughed, feeling like an idiot. "You don't do that here.."

He sent her an inquisitive look, but ignored her strange antics and pointed to her left hand, where she had tucked her wand into her sleeve while she waited.

"You must surrender your… stick." He stumbled upon the word, as if not quite sure what to make of her weapon.

She let out a small laugh. "It's not a stick," she corrected. "It's a wand."

He raised his eyebrows, not understanding.

"Er, it helps me perform magic," she explained. "I am a witch."

Haldir went rigid at that. "A witch?" he asked stiffly.

"Yes," she replied haltingly. "Why? Is that… bad?"

"You practice the black arts?" His voice was accusing. "The Witch-King of Angmar?"

"No! No, no." She shook her head vehemently. "Not Black Arts. I'm a good witch!"

She scrambled for some way to convince him of the nature of her powers.

"You have wizards here, right? Good wizards?" She gestured desperately with her hands. "Like Gandalf!"

"I'm like Gandalf," she explained fervently. "Though slightly less powerful…"

She frowned as she considered all they ways she was decidedly not like Gandalf.

"… definitely not as wise," she continued sardonically, as she pondered out loud. "And, naturally, a lot… younger."

"But good!" she exclaimed again, as she shook off her ramblings and remembered what she was trying to do.

He raised his hands to signal peace. "Yes, yes, I believe you," he said wryly. "I suppose witchcraft is different where you are allegedly from."

She nodded vigorously, choosing not to acknowledge the skepticism of his allegedly.

"Still, it is your weapon of choice, and until Lady Galadriel has her say, you are in our custody," he gestured to the wand in her sleeve. "You must surrender your… wand."

She hesitated a moment, reluctant to give up her only feeling of safety in this strange, unfamiliar land.

"Is that really necessary?" She bit her lip nervously. "I mean you no harm, I swear it! And I will not run, that I promise. Indeed, where would I run to? I have nowhere to go."

Her voice trailed off somewhat pitifully, as she realized while she said the words, that they were indeed true. She had nowhere to go. No friend, no ally, no home to turn to in this fantastical foreign world. Everyone she knew, everything she knew, was far beyond her reach now.

His face softened a little at that. "Very well," he said. "You may keep it." Seeing the look of relief and gratitude light up her face though, he quickly sought to sober her up. "But one move out of line, and one of my Wardens will have a an arrow piercing through your scull before you even think to utter any incantation," he threatened.

Her eyes widened and she grimaced at the vividly grotesque picture he painted.

"You need not worry," she said sardonically. "I like my scull very much intact, thank you very much. I have no desire to test the archery skills of your Wardens."

She threw a respectful glance at the elves who surrounded her, with arrows strung tightly in their bows, showing no signs of fatigue at having held them there for such a long a time.

"Very well," Haldir conceded, satisfied with her response, and gestured into the forest. "Follow me."

After walking for what seemed like hours, darkness had grown so heavily around them, Evanna began to stumble as she struggled to make out the uneven ground beneath her feet. Her night vision was nothing compared to that of the elves. Then, suddenly, they stopped. And as her eyes slowly adjusted better to the darkness, she noted that they stood before a massive tree trunk, which extended far into the night sky.

She watched in amazement as elf after elf leaped up into the tree branches with an ease and grace that no human could ever possess.

"After you," Haldir offered, regarding the stunned look upon her face with a small amount of amusement.

She stared back at him in confusion. "What do you mean, after me?"

He gestured towards the tree with a small smirk.

She gaped. "Up?" she exclaimed in dismay.

He merely nodded.

"Uh, I think I would rather stay here on the ground," she stated firmly, crossing her arms.

"On the ground we are vulnerable," said Haldir with a small amount of patience. "We sleep in the trees. It is safer. And we are at an advantage."

Evanna bit her lip anxiously as she regarded the tree. How could they possibly sleep up there without falling down? Still, she supposed she could use a Sticking Charm to secure herself to a branch, if she had to.

She sighed in defeat, and looked back to Haldir. "I can't fly like you can," she grumbled. "How will I get up there?"

He smirked again and whistled some signal up into the tree, and seemingly out of nowhere, a ladder made of rope tumbled down from above.

He gestured towards the ladder. "I take it you know how to use one of these?" he said in a condescending voice that really grated on her already frayed nerves. She had to physically restrain herself from delivering a scathing reply.

"Naturally," she replied instead, through gritted teeth and grabbed a step on the ladder to begin the ascent up into the trees.

Her hands shook slightly as she climbed further and further up and away from the safety of solid ground. Her heart raced, and with every step she took, she was sure her traitorous limbs would betray her and send her plummeting to the ground. Was it that very same day that she had plummeted to a certain death in another world? It felt like an eternity had passed since then. But she had definitely had enough falling for a lifetime.

She had no idea whether the elf came up behind her, or whether he had taken another route into the treetops. She had no intention of looking down to find out. If she did, she was sure she would have a heart attack and slip.

Evanna really did not like heights.

Nor did she have any idea how much further she had to go, for every time she tried to look up, a sense of vertigo made her so dizzy she had to stop and look straight ahead to calm herself down again. Instead, she focused solely on making her limbs function properly, climbing further up, step by step.

A small shriek escaped her mouth when her upper arms were suddenly seized from above and someone hoisted her into the air for a moment, before she found herself on her knees on solid footing once more.

It took her a moment to calm down enough to dare open her eyes. To her great astonishment, she found herself in a sort of tree house. It was some kind of platform carved out of wood, though to her great disappointment it did not have solid walls surrounding it. That would have been a small comfort, at least.

Still feeling weak all over from anxiety, she quickly crawled to the middle of the platform, and leaned shakily against the tree trunk and closed her eyes tightly, willing her nerves to settle down. She truly hated when she got like this. It felt almost as if she were no longer in control of her body, and it prickled uncomfortable all over, whilst her breathing became uncomfortably erratic.

"Are you unwell?" She heard Haldir's voice from somewhere above her. He sounded almost concerned.

"Fine," she breathed weakly. "I just… really don't do well with heights."

After a few moments passed, she felt more in control of her body, and she opened her eyes slowly. She noted that a few more elves had joined them on their platform, and had spread out on cots that lay on the wooden floor.

"Here." Her eyes flickered over to where the Chief-Elf stood beside her, offering her a soft bundle of fabrics. She took the proffered gift slowly, then frowned in disbelief as she realized he had given her a mat of her own to sleep on, and a thick, blanket to cover herself with.

"What's this?" She looked up at the elf in bewilderment. He gave her an incredulous look, clearly having decided once and for all that she was thoroughly moronic. Realizing he had misunderstood, she sought to clarify.

"Well, obviously, I know what it is," she rolled her eyes. "But why are you being kind to me?" It was her turn to look at him incredulously. "I'm your prisoner, remember?" she reminded him.

He sighed exasperatedly, and she could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes in response, but she couldn't be sure in the dark. "We are not savages," he replied haughtily.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the subtle shade he threw at her with the stress on the first word, and she smirked. Perhaps he wasn't such a stoic bore after all.

"I suggest you get some rest," Haldir said, as he began to turn away from her. "We still have some miles to trek on the morrow, until we arrive at Caras Galadhon."

She nodded, as she began unfolding her mat on the wooden floor, as close to the tree trunk as possible. She promptly charmed the mat to stick to the floor, and once she had made herself comfortable, with the comfortably weight of the warm blanket covering her, she charmed herself stuck to the mat. Satisfied that she would not accidentally tumble over the edge of the platform in her sleep, she soon closed her eyes and drifted off to a deep slumber.

Apparently, dying and waking up from the dead in another world had taken its toll on her. She was absolutely knackered.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Evanna woke up feeling foggy and bleary-eyed. She blinked up into the bright light, momentarily annoyed with herself for not closing the blinds the night before. She rubbed her eyes slowly, hoping to knead some life into them, then blinked into the light and let her sight adjust to the brightness. Once her eyes registered what exactly she was looking at though, she she suddenly froze stiff.

 _Trees?_ She thought stupidly to herself. _What the…_

Her body tried to shoot up into a sitting position to make sense of her situation, but she found herself stuck to the mattress. She felt a brief panic seize her in her befuddled state of mind, before her mind began catching up with her, and it dawned upon her that she wasn't in fact in her own bed. "Ugh," she groaned to herself and flopped her head dejectedly back down on the cot again as the events of the night before resurfaced in her memory.

Fishing her wand out from her sleeve, Evanna wove it through the air to release the Sticking-Charms that held her in place, then sat up and regarded her surroundings with mild curiosity. To her great exasperation, she noted that the elf from the day before, _Haldir_ , was looking at her with something akin to smug amusement in his eyes, and she immediately knew that her oafish struggle to wake up had not gone unnoticed.

 _Damnit_ , she thought to herself with a small grimace.

"So you awake at last," the elf stated dryly. "I was beginning to think you had perished in your sleep."

She scoffed at that. "You wish."

He raised an eyebrow quizzically, not entirely sure if she was serious or not, but said nothing to contradict it, he merely moved on to another topic.

"If we are to make it to Caras Galadhon by nightfall, considering the speed with which you trek…" He sent her a derisive look. "I suggest we make way promptly."

Evanna rolled her eyes at his derogatory comment, but decided not to entertain him. "As you wish," she said pleasantly, rising up from her cot. She stretched to get some feeling back in her limbs and bowed down to put her shoes on, but frowned in annoyance as she felt the constricting sensation of her jeans.

 _Hmf_ , she thought to herself. _Leave it to me to wear_ jeans _on the day I die and rise from the dead in an imaginary, fairytale world._

"Hold on a minute," she said to the elf as she picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her torso to hide her lower body from view, wishing all the while that she had learned how to transfigure clothes while they were on her body.

 _I'm not trekking through this bloody forest wearing these_ , she mentally decided. Using one hand, she began taking off her trousers underneath the blanket, while the other hand struggled to keep said blanket from slipping down and exposing her. She could feel Haldir's sharp gaze on her, and she smirked as she looked up at the incredulous look upon his face.

Once she had successfully removed the offending garment, she adjusted the blanket again to secure it around her waist, then laid the jeans out on the platform in front of her and pulled out her wand. She concentrated hard, biting her lip in the process, as she wove her wand in an intricate pattern through the air and said the appropriate incantation loudly. Glancing down to peruse the outcome, she groaned in annoyance as she realized that only half of the jeans had transfigured, while the other remained the same.

"Damnit," she grumbled. Transfiguration had never been her strongest subject. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused all her magic on the task at hand, trying to keep a clear picture in her mind of the result she wanted, then tried the wand movement and incantation once more. Opening her eyes again, she beamed jubilantly as she saw a fully transfigured set of leggings laid out in front of her.

"That's more like it!" She exclaimed as she picked up the new set of trousers and set about dressing herself again.

"What?"

The dumbstruck look upon the elf's face as he stared at her, suddenly had her burst out laughing, which quickly sobered him up, and instead he adopted a mask of unimpressed peeve.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked tersely once her new attire was donned and she had finished tying the shoelaces of her boots.

"Ready!" She said cheerfully, finding an obscene amount of pleasure in being obnoxiously perky in response to his grumpy temperament.

"After you then." He gestured towards the edge of the platform, where the ladder of rope had been slung off the side, and the cheer was quickly wiped from her face as she followed his gaze. She swallowed thickly, as she felt that familiar anxiety bubbling up in her chest.

"Don't you have an elevator or something?" she asked meekly, to which he merely raised a quizzical brow, not understanding the term she had used. "Right," she said. "Of course not."

She took a tentative step towards the ladder, and leaned forward to peer over the edge of the platform. _Oh hell no._ That familiar whopping sensation in her stomach made her take a big step backwards as she saw the long drop down to the ground below. Laying a palm on her heart to try and calm her racing pulse, she looked over to the elf who was frowning at her.

Evanna shook her head slowly. "I don't think… I can," she said.

She felt her palms begin to sweat and her hands began to shake, as she regarded the edge of the platform fearfully.

His frown deepened. "What-" He began to say, but she interrupted him.

"I told you. I _really_ don't do well with heights." She sent him a pleading look, wondering if he would laugh at her for having such a pitiful phobia. But instead, his face softened a fraction as he cocked his head a bit to one side, regarding her with interest. "You are frightened," he stated.

Rolling her eyes, feeling very annoyed with herself, she said: "Frightened, I think, is an understatement."

Evanna had always hated herself a little bit for having such a common, ridiculous fear. Her entire life, she had tried to challenge it, challenge _herself_ , to see if she could rid herself off it, spending hours debating with herself back and forth, trying to make sense of it, trying to convince herself with logic that it was absolutely absurd. She wasn't even necessarily scared of dying from a fall, as much as she was afraid of the fall itself. Of losing control. She shivered a little at the thought.

 _Stupid_ , she thought to herself.

"Come on." She was shaken out of her reverie as the elf addressed her. She glanced over at him and frowned a little at the proffered arm he held out to her.

"What?" She sent him a quizzical brow.

"Come here," he ordered gently.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What? You're going to push me over the edge?" She held her wand a little tighter as her paranoid mind considered the thought that she had to defend herself.

To her great surprise, he snorted at that, which struct her as something very un-elf-like.

"I will not," he replied, with a small amount of amusement. "I will carry you down myself, quite safely."

She gaped at him. That was certainly not what she expected. "You couldn't possibly-"

"Come, come, we haven't got all day," he urged, and she automatically took a step in his direction at the authoritative tone in his voice. She yelped as he stepped over to her himself and wove one arm around her waist and secured it there, lifting her into the air as if she weighed nothing. _Holy shit_ , she thought to herself. _Is this guy on steroids?_

Granted, she had noted, rather grudgingly, that he was very fit, more brawny even than the other elves she had seen so far. And she knew elves were very strong by nature. But even though she was short, she didn't necessarily consider herself petite, and to hold any person in the air by one arm alone, that took some strength, she decided.

"Woah, woah, woah, _woah_ ," she cried out in alarm as he neared the edge, feeling the panic bubbling up in her chest once more. She wriggled, trying to free herself from his clutches, but his arms were made of steel.

He sighed at her struggle. "Close your eyes," he ordered.

"What?" she squealed, staring at him incredulously.

"Close your eyes." He repeated through gritted teeth. Apparently his patience was wearing thin. She studied his face for a moment, looking for any trace of treachery in his eyes, afraid that the moment she closed her eyes, he would have a sudden impulse to shove her off the edge. His eyes blue eyes were soft however, and surprisingly kind.

"I will not let you fall," he vowed, as if he had read her thoughts. "I promise."

Evanna took in a shaky breath, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and decided to trust him, albeit a little hesitantly. With one more searching look into his eyes, she finally relented, closing her eyes while biting down hard on her lip to try and distract her frayed nerves. She wove her own arms around him in a fierce grip, briefly entertaining the thought of securing herself to him with another Sticking-Charm. She snorted at the ridiculous idea.

Feeling him began to move towards the edge, she closed her eyes tighter, and braced herself for the inevitable drop. She had to bite back to keep herself from screaming out loud once she felt them plunge into the air, and she clung to him while all sorts of terrifying scenarios flashing through her mind. They landed briefly on a branch with a soft thud, before they were in the air once more. She concentrated on counting the times they touched base with a branch, and before she knew it, they landed finally on the solid ground with a grunt of effort on his part.

He slowly eased her down onto the grass, but she kept her firm grip around him, while she tried to convince her treacherous mind that she was indeed safe. Her heart was still racing wildly in her chest, and adrenalin coursed through her veins like wildfire, but she opened her eyes slowly. Taking in the secure surroundings of the forest floor around her, she took a deep breath to steady herself, suddenly feeling a lot more in control of herself.

"Whoo, that was _intense_ ," she chuckled nervously, as she looked up at Haldir who was gazing at her with some concern in his eyes, and she felt a little embarrassed about her erratic behavior once she noticed the other elves surrounding them in the clearing. She released her deadly hold around him and cursed herself as she felt a faint blush rising in her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, suddenly feeling very grateful for his patient kindness. Apparently, he wasn't as stoically arrogant as she had originally thought. He merely inclined his head, with a small smile.

She cleared her throat pointedly. "Shall we?" She gestured off into the forest, and he smirked a little as she reverted back to her old, confident attitude, shaking off the panic that had taken over just moments before as if it had never happened, but thankfully, he chose not to mention it as he led the way into the trees. For a few moments she felt tense as she followed him deeper into the woods, wondering if he would take the opportunity to interrogate her, but to her great relief, he remained silent, and left her in peace. She soon relaxed as she fell into step behind him, and let her eyes drift off to admire the beauty of the elves' homeland.

They walked in silence for a good while, as Haldir decided to let her have some moments of peace to gather herself together again and recover from her previous embarrassment. He too could benefit from some time in thought, he determined, for he had much to consider, most of which related to the foreign maiden walking beside him. From the moment of their first encounter, this strange maiden of Men had taken him by surprise again and again. She was so very different from others of her race that he had encountered before, and he briefly entertained the idea that perhaps her story was indeed true. She certainly seemed like she was off another world.

The most immediate peculiarity about her was, of course, her appearance, and the unusual garments she donned. She had the strangest, blue trousers on, which appeared to be made of some thick fabric that he was fairly certain did not exist in their world. They were loose around her legs and thighs, but tighter around her waist, where they ended, secured by a leather belt. Her shirt was of a thin material, not offering much protection from the elements, and figure hugging, not leaving much to the imagination, even though it showed off little skin.

But most peculiar of all was the hair. Her hair was the most quaint shade he had ever laid eyes upon. A very light, rose color, the sort that belonged on flower petals, but he had never seen a living creature wearing it in his long lifetime. It was cut short too, ending just above her shoulders in gentle curls, which was very unusual for maidens in Middle Earth. However, it did frame her heart-shaped face in a pleasing manner, and the shade did contrast beautifully with her tanned skin and striking green eyes. In her own exotic way, he grudgingly admitted to himself as he peered down at where she walked beside him, lost in her own musings, she was rather lovely, for one of her race.

She could not have seen more than twenty summers in her short, mortal lifetime, he decided as he regarded her. Practically an infant in the eyes of the elves. Still, she had shown a lot of spirit for someone so young. Even in the precarious situation which she, supposedly, found herself in, she had seemed fearless and unfazed in the face of threats from both orcs and elves in a strange, new world. If her story was indeed true, she had certainly handled the revelation better than most men would.

Entirely fearless though, she was not. He had been surprised to discover the vengeance with which she feared… heights, apparently. Of all things to be frightened of, she was terrified of heights. To him it was difficult to fathom. But then again, her race lacked the agility and litheness that the elves possessed. Elves were generally quicker and stronger than Men, and their senses were heightened. Heights, and leaping through the air, was not an issue for them, but considering the nature of her own race, he could perhaps be persuaded to understand the reasoning behind her fear.

Her powers were another thing to consider. A witch she had called himself. There were wizards in Middle Earth, of course. _The Istari_. But witches were unheard of. A female wizard. She certainly possessed some form of magic, a magic unlike anything he had seen before. She had vigorously claimed herself to be a good witch, and he could not sense any darkness within her powers, nor indeed in her. However, even though she appeared innocent enough, he was not naiv. He had not much faith in the race of Men. He knew them to be deceitful and weak of nature.

He mentally shook his head as his thoughts begun to wander in the direction of Men's weaknesses, a subject he had no desire to entertain. It was not his place to speculate, nor to place judgement on the girl, he decided with finality. The Lady Galadriel would be able to read the girl's mind and determine whether or not she was trustworthy, and that would be the end of it. But in the meantime, he would keep a close eye on her.


	3. Chapter 3

They spent most of the journey through the woods in silence, for which Evanna was grateful. As the awe of her beautiful surroundings began to subside, they gave way to some more depressing thoughts when it dawned upon her what exactly had happened to her.

 _I'm dead,_ she thought to herself in disbelief. _I'm dead and I'm never gonna see my family or friends again_.

Pictures of her best friends, Fred and George, flashed through her mind, making tears well up in her eyes. She wondered whether they knew by now that she was dead. Would they find her body in the river? It seemed unlikely, because her body was _there. With her._ And yet… How could she be certain that she _was in fact there_. Physically. That it wasn't just in her head. In the afterlife. Or something…

The whole situation was so confusing, her head began to pound with the effort of making sense of it.

Even worse, perhaps they thought her caught by the Death Eaters. A chill went down her spine. She hoped not. They might attempt another rescue mission, which would be fruitless because _she wasn't there._ It would only demand more casualties and nothing good would come from it. No, she really hoped they thought she was dead. It was better that way.

The lump in her throat grew larger by the minute. Knowing she would never see them again was difficult enough, but not knowing what was happening was almost worse. Not knowing whether they were alive or well. Not knowing how the war was going. She might never know whether they won or lost. Never know whether they carried on having happy lives. Marrying. Having kids. She would never know any of it.

A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away quickly. Gazing up at the elf beside her, she prayed he hadn't noticed. To her great relief he was staring resolutely ahead. Even though she understood that elves were generally kind and peaceful creatures, as long as nobody threatened them, she had no way of knowing that _this_ Middle Earth was the same as in Tolkien's novels. They had been kind enough to her so far, but it would not do to show too much weakness, she decided.

 _Well,_ she thought sarcastically to herself, thinking back on her embarrassing display in the treetops earlier. _You kind of already shot that horse in the face, Evanna._ She grimaced to herself.

A small part of her kept hoping that there might be a solution to her problems. That she might be able to go back. That she was actually lying in a bed at St. Mungo's and that all of this was just a dream. Albeit a very vivid one. Or perhaps she was under some dark curse that sent her into a fantasy world within her head. Or that fate had somehow fucked up and sent her somewhere she wasn't meant to be, and that they would promptly send her back when they realised their mistake.

But another part of her, the logical part, knew that it was highly unlikely. That part of her brain knew that she was dead. At least in the world she used to live in. She didn't feel dead, she just felt dead to that world. Like the string that connected her to it had broken and set her free. Now, she belonged nowhere. She just _was._

 _Perhaps that is how death works,_ she thought grimly to herself. _That every time you die you're sent to another world to live another life. Like… reincarnation or whatever._

Evanna had never given much thought to death or the afterlife. Although she was muggle-born, her family wasn't religious, so she had no such beliefs to rely on. Of course, she had heard of reincarnation. In Buddhism, people readily believed they lived several lifetimes. However, she thought it unlikely that you could die in one world and wake up in another world but remain _the same_ as when you died, with all your memories intact. That wasn't the way reincarnation worked. She was sure of it.

Nothing about the situation made sense, and her mind was beginning to feel foggy, so she shook her head to clear her thoughts. There was no use dwelling on it, as she had no answers to give herself. She could only hope that Lady Galadriel could help her shed some light on the situation.

In the meantime, she would concentrate on setting one foot in front of the other, and enjoy the experience while it lasted. For all she knew, this could very well be just a glitch in the matrix. She might drop dead any minute and her life would truly be over. And who didn't dream of waking up in their favourite novel from childhood? Hell, if this was a dream, she would dream it as long as she could!

By mid-day however, her limbs began to tire. They were not used to such heavy amount of physical exercise, and although the pace with which they made way was manageable, the distance they had covered was extensive. She gritted her teeth together, determined not to show any weakness to the elf walking beside her.

He must have sensed her tiredness though, because he told her in a voice that could almost count for consolatory that they were nearly there. Evanna let her shoulders sag a little bit in relief.

 _Almost there,_ she thought to herself and tried to quell the anxiety that threatened to bubble up in her chest at the thought. She took a deep breath. _Whatever comes, I'll deal with it,_ she decided.

 **Haldir POV**

Haldir felt a small amount of pride well up in him as he watched the human take in her surroundings with obvious awe. Most people who entered Lothlórien, be it Man-kind, elf or dwarf, shared the same reaction. _Quite understandably_ , he thought to himself. There was no likeness in all of _Ennorath_. It was the only place where the Mallorn trees grew, tall and golden, aided by the power of _Nenya_ which their Lady Galadriel wielded.

It was the perfect time to experience The Golden Wood in all its glory, for the season was turning towards autumn, and the leaves had just began to turn golden in the tree tops. Along with the sun beams, it created a a glimmering atmosphere that could dazzle anyone who held any appreciation of nature and beauty.

It surprised him that such a young maiden should have any appreciation for such, for he had found the youth of Man-kind to be heedless and negligent to anything but their own aspirations and cravings. He could perhaps account that to the fact that most Men he had met had been male. He had little personal experience with maidens, and relied solely on that which he had heard of them. And yet, he had a feeling this maiden was unlike any other in Ada.

Haldir's keen senses alerted him to a sudden change in her mood. He glanced down briefly and noted a sorrowful look marring the face of youth that had previously been awestruck. Frowning, he wondered what had brought it upon her. She didn't strike him as someone who would display weakness readily. His only guess was that her situation had fully dawned upon her. Perhaps she dwelled upon the world from which she had come from. If, indeed, her story was true.

He had to confess to himself that even though she was young, he thought he could sense a heavy weight she carried in her eyes that spoke of maturity beyond her years. There was a sorrow and a darkness clouding her soul. But of course he could be mistaken. He did not know this maiden, and doubted he should have the chance. As soon as they arrived, she would be someone else's responsibility and he could go about his usual duties once more.

Later, when they were nearing the end of the trek, Haldir was nearly at his wits end with the human. Her and her clumsy feet were merciless. He gritted his teeth in annoyance at her careless demolition of the forest around her. With every step, she stumbled and tore and crushed anything in her path without regard. Typical of Man-kind. They had no respect for the nature around them.

When she began to falter slightly, it dawned upon him that perhaps she was tired. She didn't look particularly strong, even for a Man. And Man, in general, had not the same endurance and strength as the _Eldar_. Finally, he took pity on her, bringing it upon himself to console her by telling her they were nearly there. He could visibly see her shoulders sag in relief, and felt a small twinge of guilt for thinking so harshly of her before.

They were naught but a stone throw away from Caras Galadhon, and part of him was curious to see what The Lady made of this strange maiden, while another part of him was ready to leave her in more capable hands so he could return to his duties at the borders.

 **Evanna POV**

When they entered the elven city, Evanna dutifully followed Haldir as he led her through a labyrinth of wooden stairs and halls built up in the impossibly tall trees. She could only gape and stare in awe at the constructions they had carved out. Even in her own world of magic, she had never seen anything so magnificent. And as far as she was aware, the elves didn't have _that_ sort of magic, so they must have made it by hand, which only made it more impressive.

With the golden leaves and the late sun bathing the entire place a warm glow, Evanna felt like she had entered the closest thing she could imagine to heaven.

 _Quite fitting too,_ she thought sardonically to herself and made a face. _As I am technically dead._

So caught up in her surroundings was she, that she almost bumped into Haldir's broad back when he stopped in front of a magnificent staircase. She caught herself just in time, and peering around him, she let out a small gasp as her eyes were immediately drawn to the top of the stairs, where a pair of unbearably beautiful elves stood poised. The lady was dressed entirely in white, and seemed to glow as if she was made of starlight itself. Her golden hair fell in long waves down to her lower back, and Evanna faintly wondered how many years it had taken to grow it.

But most noticeably, there was an ancient wisdom, and an energy of sheer power about her, that made her seem almost god-like.

The man that lead the lady down the stairs was equally beautiful, though his hair was a tad more silver and fell only down to his chest. He looked strong and sturdy like a mountain, and there was a certain hardness about him that she did not discern in the lady. He looked like a warrior, and not the kind you would want to face in battle. Still, there was a kindness in his eyes, and wisdom beyond compare, and perhaps even a small amount of curiosity as he regarded Evanna with narrowed eyes.

Evanna bit her lip nervously when the pair reached the bottom of the stairs and the lady gestured for her to approach them. Hesitantly, she moved around Haldir and slowly made her way over to the magnificent elves.

"Come, child," the lady spoke in a gentle tone as she offered Evanna a warm smile. "Do not be frightened."

The lady took a step forward, and Evanna moved to a stop a couple of feet in front of her, still feeling a little intimidated by the aura surrounding the powerful elf. She then allowed herself to lift her head and meet the elven lady's gaze.

The moment their irises met however, Evanna froze in place as she felt a presence easing itself into her mind, and out of sheer reflex, her mind slammed down its shields and she forced her eyes shut to break the connection.

It was only a split second, a panicked reaction, but oh boy did it create a great commotion. Evanna's eyes snapped back open when she felt someone violently grabbing her upper arm and yanking her backwards. She looked up, startled, and found none other than Haldir securing her in his tight grip. He held her firmly in place, but kept his gaze locked in front of him with with a fierce look of concern.

Evanna followed his gaze, not entirely sure what had just happened, and noted that Galadriel looked like she had stumbled backwards, and was now carefully supported by her mate, while her hand touched her forehead tenderly.

Evanna sucked in a breath of horror once she realised what she had just done.

"Oh god," she he exclaimed as she regarded the lady fearfully. "I'm so very sorry, I didn't realise…" Her voice faded out into a tremor as she didn't know what to say to make it right. "I wasn't…"

 _Crap!_

She took a step forward, lifting her arm helplessly to show her concern, but Haldir tanked her backwards again. "I didn't mean…" She whispered weakly.

Lady Galadriel straightened up, albeit somewhat slowly, and Evanna was somewhat relieved when she saw the comforting smile the elven lady gave her mate, and him letting go of her arm. She didn't look like she was too grievously injured. Still, the guilt churned uncomfortably in Evanna's stomach and she bit her lip, wondering if she had destroyed any possibility of gaining the help and trust of the elves.

The lady said something to Haldir in the elven tongue that Evanna could not understand, but she guessed it was some form of reassurance, because the stoic elf beside her reluctantly released his tight grip on her arm.

Evanna grimaced as she felt the blood flowing back to her limbs and absentmindedly rubbed the spot he had held. It was definitely going to bruise. Then she humbly let her eyes stray up again, biting her lip in anticipation of what her punishment would be.

To her great astonishment however, there was no fury or resentment in the lady's eyes, merely kind understanding as she locked gazes with Evanna again, but this time the alien presence was absent from her mind.

"Fear not, child," she smiled. "You have not injured me."

Evanna released a breath she didn't even realise she was holding. "My gosh, Your Lady, I'm so sorry!" She pleaded with her eyes. "It was just a reflex, a trained reaction…" Her voice trailed off, wondering how much she should reveal of her experiences.

Lady Galadriel waved her off. "I understand," she said. "I was merely caught off guard." Her eyes sparkled in a way that could almost be described as mischievous. "No one has ever been able to detect my mere presence in their mind before."

Evanna thought she sounded almost impressed.

"Not to mention, casting me out of their mind," the lady continued with her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"It was something we learned during the war, My Lady," Evanna explained. "To protect our minds from attack."

Evanna could practically feel Haldir's sharp, curious gaze on her back, but paid him no heed. It was not him she needed to explain herself to. It was the Lady in front of her.

Both Lady Galadriel and her mate seemed somewhat amazed, and she could tell they had more questions to ask, but they did not voice them.

Instead, Lady Galadriel extended her hand again, ushering Evanna forward. "Shall we try again?"

Evanna swallowed and closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. When she opened them, she forced herself to focus on the kindness that was radiating from the lady elf and allowed it to wash over her. She immediately felt calm.

"Yes, let us try again."

This time, she remained calm as she felt the presence slip into her mind once more. Upon second reflection, the presence did not feel threatening at all. It was like a light caress of her thoughts. A soft breeze.

 _You have a very impressive mind, young child._

Evanna almost jumped at the sudden voice inside her head, but immediately recognised it as friendly. It was just a very strange sensation to have someone foreign inside her mind.

 _Thank you?_ She thought back, wondering if this whole mind thing was a two way communication.

She could not hear the Lady laughing, but the amusement was definitely there. Tangible. Like it was part of her own.

Then started a mind dance that was easy to perform. The Lady would ask a question, inside Evanna's mind, and the images to answer would immediately come forward. It was a little uncomfortable at first, she thought, to have no control over your own mind. The images just sprung forward as if the Lady was the puppet master with strings connected to all her thoughts and feelings. And the images weren't just that. _Images._ They carried meaning. Feelings and experiences. Not explained by words, but just _there_.

Evanna did her best to let forward anything and everything the Lady wished to see. She had nothing to hide. Although some of the memories were painful. The death of her classmates. The terror of the ever tightening grasp He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had on the Wizarding World. The Carrows at Hogwarts, torturing students for the fun of it. The thought that they might lose. That nothing would ever be the same. That darkness would descend upon the world forever.

All those thoughts were heavy upon Evanna's mind, and had been for a long time. She never allowed herself to wallow in them for long though.

It seemed like a small eternity had passed, when the elven lady finally withdrew from Evanna's mind. It felt as if they had covered just about Evanna's whole life. A life that would be short in the eyes of an elf, but long enough for Evanna. Her family. Her first years at Hogwarts. Learning magic. The return of… Voldemort. The war. The rescue mission gone wrong and last but certainly not least… Her death.

In reality however, it could not have been more than 5 minutes.

As she met Lady Galadriel's eyes again, devoid of the presence in her mind, her eyes had turned sorrowful as she regarded Evanna sadly.

"My dear child," she said carefully. "You have seen so much death and destruction for someone so young."

Evanna felt a lump growing in her throat, but she refused to cry. It was just that after everything that had happened, the kind and motherly voice of Lady Galadriel was almost too much.

"The sacrifice you made for your friends," she continued. "Was very brave and very noble. _Mae buiannen._ "

Evanna had no idea what the last bit meant, but it sounded like a complement. She decided to take it.

"Thank you, My Lady," she said.

She shifted her weight from one foot to another, not entirely sure what would happen next. The elf had read her mind and seen her story. It seemed like she believed her. At least she hadn't been tossed out the door yet.

Lady Galadriel seemed to be having a silent conversation with her mate. They merely stared into each others eyes for a few moments, and it seemed such a personal thing to behold, that Evanna had to look away.

Her eyes began to grow heavy and her feet felt like they were made of lead. Now that she had laid all her cards upon the table, and the ball was in someone else's court, she realised how very exhausted she was. She would give just about anything for a soft bed to curl up in. Or even just a dark corner to disappear into.

As if she could sense Evanna's fatigue, The Lady turned towards her with a kind smile. "My dear, you must be very tired. Lord Celeborn and I agree that you are no threat to our realm and our people, and we welcome you to stay for as long as you like." She made a broad gesture with her arm. "For as long as you need it, Caras Caladhon and the Galadhrim, will be your home and your family."

Evanna might have cried with relief if she wasn't so tired.

"Thank you, My Lady." She held back a yawn, hoping she wasn't being too rude.

"Haldir, if you could show our guest to the _flet_ where she will sleep?"

Evanna glanced up at Haldir and saw the fleeting look of annoyance cross his face, and once again she thought that if she hadn't been so tired, she would have snorted with amusement. As it was. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

"Yes, _hîril nîn,_ " he said tighly. "Come along then."

Even if Evanna had wanted to, she could not recall they way Haldir had lead her. They ended up in another sort of platform in the trees, this time thankfully with makeshift walls in place, where he abruptly bid her goodnight and left her. Within, she found another of the cots with a thick blanket, and immediately discarded her clothes and climbed in.

As she lay there all curled up, ready to drift off to sleep. She realised that she never had the chance to ask Galadriel what this all meant. What she thought of her situation and whether or not she thought there was a chance Evanna could go back. She vowed to seek out the lady in the morning and get some answers. For now, she was just happy to have a soft place to land and a place to rest til morning. 


End file.
